


What Lies Ahead

by Skyepilot



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Afterlife, Chance Meetings, F/M, Fate, First Kiss, Inhumans (Marvel), True Love, Unconventional Families, Welcome Wagon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-10
Updated: 2015-04-10
Packaged: 2018-03-22 02:23:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3711253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyepilot/pseuds/Skyepilot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>These are just post-Afterlife quick plotting and dialogue in a series of short scenes based on the next episode and ideas about where the show might go.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Lies Ahead

“What’s happening?” Skye said, following him down the hallway in the nice little cult compound she was held captive in.

“Skye, you’re safe, that's what's important,” Lincoln answered.

“I’m worried _you're_ not safe,” she said, grabbing his arm as he stopped. “Let me help.”

He looked sideways down the hall, towards the Elder Council chamber.

“Gordon’s been captured,” he replied with a sigh.  He shook his head and resumed his course.

“By who?” Skye asked, following after him.

She was thinking about the people claiming to be SHIELD, who had hunted her.  And thinking about the people she _knew_ were SHIELD, who would be looking for her.  She needed a way out of here.

“They call themselves HYDRA,” he said, reacting curiously as Skye’s eyes went wide.

“You know about them, don't you?” Lincoln asked warily.

She nodded, then took a deep breath. “Yes, _and_ what they’re capable of.  What they do to people _like us_.”

Lincoln seemed lost for a moment, running through protocols in his head.

“Let me talk to Jiaying,” Skye said, after a moment. “I can help.”

 

#

 

“Coulson,” he said with a sneer. “Heard you lost SHIELD. _Ouch_.”

Coulson gritted his teeth and didn’t reply.

“Told you you’d need me,” Ward grinned, lifting the shackles on his wrists.

“My polite answer," Coulson began, "Is that I need you behind bars and for someone to throw away the key.  Preferably somewhere...bottomless. But, more pressing matters first,” Coulson said, loading his gun.

Ward looked down the ramp of the Quinjet.  “Who are we waiting for?”

“Oh, hi Agent Peterson,” Coulson said cheerfully.

Ward stood a little taller as Mike Peterson approached them.

“You remember Agent Peterson, right?” Coulson said, meeting Mike's eyes, then Ward's.

Ward looked coldly sideways at Coulson.

Mike stood close to Ward, getting in his personal space, making him twitch.

“Mike, I think you remember Grant Ward?” Coulson said with a sly smile.

"Permanently," Mike answered, his words like a solid object.

"I'm not responsible for...," Ward began, looking away.

"Save it," Mike said, brushing past him, as Coulson glanced at Ward's tense expression. " _For later_ ," Mike turned over his shoulder, smiling back at Ward.

When he was gone, Ward lurched forward towards Coulson.

"This is _not_ what we agreed to."

"When have we _ever_ agreed?" Coulson smirked.

 

#

 

"HYDRA experiments on gifteds, on people like us,"  Skye began, standing in the chamber.

"Not all gifteds are like us, Skye," Jiaying calmly replied.

There were several nods to her left and right.

"Got it," Skye snarked back, "But for all intents and purposes?  HYDRA sees us as the same thing.  Just ask Cal."

Jiaying smiled back at Skye, as the younger woman crossed her arms. Jiaying set back in her chair at the head of the council.

Everyone else was tense and holding their breath, waiting for her reply.

"I know he's here," Skye said, looking at the faces around her.  Most of them betraying the fact that what she'd said was true. "How many people here are combat ready?"

"That's not our way, Skye," Jiaying said.

Skye's head jerked back. "You teach people how to use their gifts, but I know the Kree made us to be weapons."

"We are not weapons, we are evolution," the other woman replied, leaned forward, challenging.

"Well, I know I'm a weapon," Skye answered. "And I know how to get Gordon back.  You need him.  There aren't that many of you that have these abilities, right?"

"That's true," an older man spoke up from one of the chairs, leaning forward.

Jiaying frowned.

"And Cal," Skye continued.  "He can fight, I've observed him," she continued, narrowing her eyes at Jiaying. "We'll need his help, too."

"Anyone else?" Jiaying asked with a sigh.

"Lincoln," Skye said, turning back towards him standing against the back wall.

He pointed at his own chest slowly.

 

#

 

If he tries to run, shoot him," Coulson said, looking at Hunter and then at Ward.

"If he looks at you sideways," Coulson went on. "Shoot him."

"What if he tries to talk?" Hunter asked. "He's got such an irritating tone of voice."

"Shoot him," Coulson reiterated, watching Ward roll his eyes.

Mike left the Quinjet's cockpit to join them, glared for a moment at Ward.

"Let's go," Coulson said, nodding at him.

"You didn't tell me you'd lost Skye," Ward said, as soon as Coulson turned his back.

He spun around to see Ward's leering look, and made an accusing face at Hunter.

"What?" Hunter replied, raising his hands. "Don't look at me!"

"I'm exactly looking at you," Coulson said, lifting his finger at Hunter. "And I know just how he did it.  So, don't let him talk."

"Right! That was my whole point!" Hunter argued, splaying his arms out in front of him.

Coulson shook his head and walked down the hangar with Mike.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to leave the two of them alone?" Mike said, giving Coulson a doubtful look.

"If I leave you alone with him, you'll kill him," Coulson answered, exasperated.  He stopped and looked at his watch. "When is Amador scheduled to get here?"

Mike checked his internal coms file.  "Ten minutes."

"You're right," Coulson fretted. "Leaving Hunter with Ward is a bad idea."

"Hey," Mike shrugged. "I'm not the ex mercenary. If you're worried about anyone killing Ward..."

"Takes all kinds..." Coulson agreed.

"I'm on coms and I can hear you," Hunter's voice said, offended, echoing through their ears.

 

#

 

"Dai..."

Skye glared over at her father as they bounced along the dirt road.

"Skye," he said, looking admonished. "Sorry."

"Are you proud of yourself?" she asked as Lincoln drove the rental SUV up the mountainside. "At what you've accomplished?"

"I just wanted us to be a family again," he said.

"That worked out well," she sighed, looking away from him.

"Skye," he pleaded. "I know this has been difficult for you, but let me make it up to you."

"Let's review the mission," she said, clipped. "Lincoln takes out the power. I create an opening.  You're covering rear. Got it?"

"Do you have control over your powers?" Cal asked, excitedly.

"She's really improved," Lincoln said, leaning towards them, cheerfully. "Jiaying's always able to work wonders."

"Yes." Cal looked rather pathetic at the mention of her name.

"She wouldn't let me see you," Skye said flatly. "I had to leverage the situation to get you out."

"Get me out...," Cal said, narrowing his eyes, as it suddenly clicked.

Skye nodded at him, his eyes registering conflicting emotions.

"It was never going to work," Skye said. "But, we don't have to be enemies."

" _Him_...," Cal started, beginning to lose his temper, hands balling into fists.

"Let's not lose our heads," she answered. "We should start over."

Cal was looking at her, but as if she was invisible.

 

#

 

"Take Gordon!" Skye said to Lincoln, her hands in the air.  "Go!"

Lincoln wrapped Gordon's arm around his shoulder.

"What about you?" he shouted. "I'm not leaving you with HYDRA!"

"I can take care of myself, Lincoln. I'm not afraid," she answered.

He couldn't believe Cal had abandoned them.

Lincoln's eyes widened as a man appeared through an opening in the wall, gun pointed at Skye's head.

"Skye!" he said, hands around Gordon, unable to use his powers.  

A beam shot out from across the room, sending the HYDRA agent to floor.

Skye looked up, readying for whatever came next, her mouth changing from a frown to a humongous grin.

"Mike?" she asked, her voice shaking.

Mike smiled over at Skye, stepping towards them over fallen HYDRA agents.

Skye ran towards him and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly, laughing.

"I can't believe it!" she said, trying not to tear up. "What are you doing here?"

She leaned back and ran her hands over his arms, quickly inspecting him.

"You look different," she said, her lips pouting in surprise. " _Better_."

"Thanks," Mike said, bashfully.

"He's with me."

Skye's eyes went wide as she peered over Mike's shoulder, meeting Coulson's.

Mike stepped aside and out of the way between them.

Just then Hunter entered through the hole in the opposite wall, a beaten looking Ward in tow, scowling and indignant with a cut across his cheek.

"No more babysitting duty," Hunter whined. "Or I resign. Oh, you found Skye," he said, immediately pleased. "That's convenient.  We were just looking for you."

"I've been working for Coulson this whole time," Mike said quietly, standing beside her. "Hunting HYDRA hunting gifteds."

Skye tore her eyes away from Coulson to look for a moment up at Mike, her mouth still open.

"I...I don't..."

She stopped shaking her head and walked towards Coulson, as he looked down at her, his eyes searching hers.

Hesitating for only a moment she grabbed him by the front of his field suit and kissed him full on the mouth.

" _Ugh_ ," Ward said in disgust, wanting to look away, but unable to.

Coulson appeared stunned and then sighed, wrapping his arms around her waist, kissing her back.

"There's a fella," Hunter chuckled, smiling.

He looked over at Lincoln.

"Who's that guy?"

 

#

 

"Are we going after _fake_ SHIELD?" Skye asked, her eyebrows knotted.

They were in a safehouse, Ward locked in a containment room, Mike debriefing Fitz. 

Coulson had sent Hunter on ahead with Amador to do reconnaissance on the other SHIELD's activities, set things in motion.

"No," Coulson said, after a moment, leaning against the small desk. "They still have May and Simmons, that's our priority. Along with our other people."

"What do you mean, 'no'?" she asked. "We can't just abandon SHIELD."

"I have something to show you," Coulson said, circling behind the desk as she watched him.

Coulson in a field suit.  Not bad. No hiding _anything_ as far as she could tell.

He pulled out a drawer and brought out an object.  A small black box.

Setting it on his desk, he tapped the top as a display popped up.

Walking around to join him, she watched him move his hands across it, swiping and pulling up files that were coded and locked for security.

One with the initials W.W.

He tapped it, and the words "Welcome Wagon" appeared in front of them.  With schematics for a base, it looked, like.  Equipment rec lists, staffing.  There was a picture of Andrew, May's ex.

"Coulson..." she breathed out. 

"If SHIELD isn't able to accept you the way you are," he began. "We make our own way."

She turned back to him in shock.

"If, that's what you want," he added, raising his eyebrows.

There was a list and she tapped it with her finger, all the people from the Index before.  Her file was highlighted, she opened it, glanced at it briefly.

Another file was highlighted. 

It said "Coulson".

Staring back at him, she waited until he nodded to touch it.

After opening she read it, remembering reading Coulson's SHIELD profile, what seemed now so long ago. Losing his father, at age 9, a defining moment.

"Your father was a gifted?" she asked, stunned.

"Yes."

"When did you start...?" she asked, looking at the dates on the rec orders.

"Building it? Honestly," he said, shrugging. "When you told me Mike Peterson deserved a second chance.  And then you helped me give him that.  I always believed it would work."

She released the breath she was holding onto, smiling at him.

He smiled back at her, looking a bit wistful, a bit too admiring. It was about to make her blush.

Biting her lip, she stepped between his knees, touching the front of his field suit with her fingers.

"That's, like, the most amazing thing anyone has ever done for me."

"I was hoping you'd like it," he said, staring up at her, as her fingers traced along the line of his jaw.

"Super sexy," she said, closing her eyes and kissing him softly. "Kind of like you. In this getup."

"Think so?" he asked, chasing her mouth, grinning.

"It's time!"

They both pulled apart to see Fitz standing in the doorway, his hands on his hips.

"To do the...see our guests off," he went on.

"Okay," Skye replied.  Lincoln and Gordon were returning to Afterlife.  She wasn't going with them.

"And, uh, maybe _not_ at the office?" Fitz muttered, looking away, then back up at them. "Get a hotel, or, I dunno.   _Elsewhere_."

Coulson frowned and got up, walked to the door.

"Noted," he said, and politely shut it with Fitz on the other side. 

"So what are you," she grinned, watching him walk back towards her. "Now that you're not Director of SHIELD?"

"Coulson," he said, sweeping her into his arms. "Phil Coulson."

Skye laughed, and then forgot to, when he kissed her again.

 


End file.
